Bremont
Car Designer Ian Callum on Penning Jaguars and Watches
Bremont
Car Designer Ian Callum on Penning Jaguars and Watches
You knew at the age of three that you wanted to design cars. How did you turn the dream into reality?
It became such a focus that other things became less important and, hence, less of a distraction. I was never great at cricket, football or rugby. I was fixated on cars and drawing and, at 18, realised that was all I could do, so thought I’d better stick to it. And that was the hard bit.
At school, I wanted to study engineering and art, but in those days sciences and the arts did not cross. When I was 17, there wasn’t a lot around in terms of industrial design courses – the discipline was just starting to find its place in the UK around then. I found a course at Glasgow School of Art, which is one of the most creative places ever – I had some amazing times there. I was holding back the tears when I read about the recent fire there, it broke my heart.
What was it like studying at the RCA?
I was right in the middle of London – Hyde Park was my back garden – it was a fabulous time. Glasgow was really hard work; I had to prove myself and I pulled many all-nighters to finish projects. The Royal College was more about socialising and we were given the freedom to explore design. It was a huge privilege to be sponsored by Ford and in the holidays, I would drive out to Essex in my old Mini to work there. I got a true understanding of how the design studio operated.
I went into Ford thinking I would change the world, but what happened was that only as people got promoted did they get the chance to be more creative, so it was the senior guys doing all the creative work and the younger ones doing all the mainstream work. That was what happened to me – if you drive a 1970s or early-1980s Ford, chances are I did the steering wheel in it.
The first full car I worked on was the Ford Escort Cosworth, but that was after 10 years with the company. It’s funny, you know you are getting old when your cars become classics and people are rebuilding the cars you designed.
Did you enjoy your time at Ford?
I first went to Ford during Christmas of 1977 as a student and started full-time in July 1979. I remember it all so clearly. I thought I’d stick around for six months then go and work at Ferrari. Eleven years later, I left. I worked in the interiors design studio, which was in keeping with my training as a product designer, but I wanted to do exterior design as well, and the only way to do that was to move to other studios. I went to work at Ghia in Italy as the studio manager and, by sheer coincidence, the chief designer was my brother. We were not particularly close up until this point, but it was here that we became really good friends. He is an incredibly brilliant man and there is really no competition between us. Today he is VP of Design at Ford Motor Company – a job that was beyond my wildest dreams.
That’s amazing for two brothers to be so successful in the same field. Is it something genetic do you think?
It’s weird, right? Our father was a solicitor and our mother worked in a library and we didn’t even own a car until I was seven. I think my grandfather was the major influence for me. He died when I was nine and I have just been back to where he lived outside of Edinburgh for the first time since then. I also visited the garage where I saw my first E-Type. That was the trigger for my car obsession, a red E-Type coupe. I went in and got a brochure that I kept until my brother’s 40th birthday, when I gave it to him because he owns an E-Type Jag. That’s love for you.
So, you don’t have an E-Type, but what is your ultimate car?
Crikey! The one I’d love to own, but probably never will because it’s so expensive, is the Ferrari 250 GT SWB. I love that car and I think it’s OK to admit it, because it is such a beautiful classic. Designed by Carrozzeria Scaglietti in 1960, it’s not the obvious choice because most people would go for the GTO, but I love it. Apart from that, I am fortunate to drive the cars that I work on. The F-Type is up there with my dream cars, as is the I-Pace.
Interesting that you choose an electric car.
Yep, I’ve joined the electric club. It’s a different sort of car and I think we’ve overtaken our competitors. Jaguar is a very innovative company – it built the fastest sports cars in the world for 10 years, yet it also made the 1968 XJ, which is refined, quiet, svelte. There are two sides to Jaguar: the luxurious, silk-carpet side and the racier side, and the I-Pace fits both. Performance-wise, it is fantastic, but it’s also very quiet and smooth.
What was the idea behind an electric car for Jaguar?
It was a genuine desire to create something that had zero emissions. There was a realisation within the company that it was the right thing to do. I think we will see every car company producing electric cars soon, because when you drive one you realise the performance is quite extreme and for mechanical cars to keep up is going to be quite difficult. Eventually the world will go electric and I think the tipping point will be in the next decade.
You have been with Jaguar for 18 years. What was your route to the company that started your career aspirations?
I’d loved Jaguar since seeing that first E-Type, but in the 1980s, Jaguar had lost its way a little. It wasn’t until Ford bought the company that I started to take an interest again. In 1990, I left Ford to help set up TWR Design and worked with Aston Martin on the designs for the DB7, DB9, Vanquish and Project Vantage, as well as collaborating with other clients including Volvo, Mazda and Nissan.
How do you keep your designs fresh?
You have to be disruptive. Disruptive is good; it means you are making something different. Design is about creating order out of chaos, but first of all you have to create the chaos. You turn it all upside down and pare it back and create a solution that has to work on so many levels – aesthetic, functional, cost. I imagine it’s the same with a wristwatch. But a car is extremely complicated. The electrical system alone has three or four times more processing power than an Airbus. It’s mind-blowing. That’s how complicated a car is and people just don’t know. I’m not responsible for all that processing, but I have to deal with it in terms of how I display it to a customer.
Brand heritage is a big thing in the watch industry today. Is it something the car world is aware of?
Jaguar has an incredible history and it is often misunderstood. A lot of people see us as traditionalists, but if you look at the heyday, the brand was revolutionary. Perhaps there was a period when Jaguar did look too much to the past and it became a heritage car company, but the founder William Lyons was not a traditionalist or sentimentalist, he was always moving forward.
How did your partnership with Bremont come about?
A guy in our design department discovered that Bremont was a British watchmaker and we were making the C-X75 concept car. We only ever made five, but we wanted a watch for the dashboard. I loved the Bremont story and became fascinated with the English brothers. I met them and built up a relationship and love the story even more now – it’s the stuff of movies! The C-X75 clock was special and convertible, so it became a pocket watch.
You mentioned your love of storytelling, so Bremont was a perfect partner for you.
They are brilliant at it – from how they started the company to every watch they make. The EP120, the Endurance and so on, but the one that gets me is the Wright Flyer. Everyone now sees the importance of a narrative, but I think Nick and Giles were pioneers. Storytelling is a wonderful thing, it gives a new sense of depth. I try to build it into the cars and make it that every one has a story and talks about the history of the company, and with our watch there are small touches like the rotor taking the form of a steering wheel, the leather in the strap is the same as we use for our seats, the metal is the same aluminium we use to make the cars and so on. Engraving the chassis and engine numbers on the back means the watch becomes the owner document – they are tied together forever.
Have you always been interested in watches?
Yes. I’m not an aficionado and I’m not into labels or expensive watches just because they shout money. I buy a watch because I like the look of it, because it is designed in an interesting way, that’s my priority. I have a few pieces and my Bremont is probably the most high-end one.
Any chance we’ll see an Ian Callum watch in the future?
Designers are all a little obsessed with timepieces because they are jewellery with purpose and, at the same time, there aren’t really any rules. They are just beautiful objects. I designed a watch at college. I don’t remember all the details, but it was funky and influenced by the Memphis Group – an Italian design movement from the 1970s.
I would love to design one for myself with Bremont in the future. I do know that I won’t work full-time for any other company – Jaguar is my home – but I do want to design other things, and that includes watches.